Two of a Kind
by Cheiri Blossom
Summary: Minoru finds out his sister is actually alive. They pick up their lives again as brother and sister. Yuzuki now does not know her purpose and fears of being forgotten.
1. Chapter 1

****

Author's Note: Just so you all know, I got the concept of stagnating from the manga Onegai Teacher. The boy that has this disease uses the term 'stagnates'. I guess it's sorta like having a seizure. But the last time he had one, he went into something like a coma. But he wanted the coma so he could remember something from his past. He brought it on himself. It also can happen if they are under a huge amount of emotional stress. So the definition for stagnate in the dictionary is off for this story. Just making that clear.

****

Disclaimer: The concept of stagnating belongs to Onegai Teacher. Everything else is from Angelic Layer and Chobits.

****

Chapter 1

A girl with curly hair that was tied into two braids ran down a dark hall. Each shallow breath she took was filled with terror. A dark figure loomed in the distance. She glanced back at it. It suddenly appeared right by her side. She gasped and collapsed to the floor.

" Leave me alone!" She exclaimed. Her breathing was shallow, so shallow that there was hardly any intake of oxygen. " It's not my fault! I was born with this. Please, let me stay with him!" She pleaded.

(Oh no, I'm stagnating!) Her head rushed. Her vision blurred as she felt herself fall to the floor. Her perspectives changed. She saw herself, unconscious, and the man towering over her. In the corner of her eye, the girl saw a face appear in a window. She glanced over to see a small, dark-haired boy with glasses. His face was filled with terror as he watched the man pick her body up. Tears formed in his eyes as he pounded on the window. They trickled mercilessly down his round cheeks. The boy seemed to be shouting for the girl, but the man simply walked away. The boy's hands stopped on the window, his pink palms sliding down the cold glass. He pressed his head against the glass. His frame shook sporadically.

" Kaede-san…" A girl's voice whispered. Kaede, the girl with braids, opened her eyes to see her best friend, Sai, leaning over the white bed.

" What's the matter Sai?" She said sitting up. She discovered that she was in a small hospital room. She looked down at her arms to see if she was in any physical danger. Kaede did not see any.

" You stagnated again! Why do you keep doing this to me?" Sai asked angrily. She then hugged her friend with relief.

" You know I'm only doing this to try and find out my past." Kaede explained.

" But what happens if it happens accidentally? You could be asleep for years…like before." Sai said her voice dropping sadly.

" That's why I stay away from emotional stress. That's why I'm always smiling." She said patting her friend's head. " Let's go then." Kaede said throwing off the covers. She revealed a light blue hospital gown. She walked into the bathroom, changed, and reappeared in her usual school uniform. She wore her usual smile as she locked arms with her friend. Sai pouted as they walked out the door.

" You know you should stay here longer…You just woke up." She said stubbornly.

" Oh you know I'm fine. We go through this every time. How long was I out for this time? A couple hours?" Kaede asked smiling innocently.

" Try three days!" Sai roared.

" Really? That's longer than usual."

" One day you won't wake up Kaede." She warned. They filled out a release form at the main desk, paid the hospital bill, and strolled out into the noon daylight. " So do you remember anything?"

" I think I saw him. This time, I didn't stay in my body. I actual saw myself unconscious. It was like being a ghost!" She clapped.

" And you enjoy this…" Sai grumbled. " What did he look like?"

" He was small, dark hair, and he had glasses. He was so darling." Kaede said happily.

" He's probably older now." Sai said.

" Yeah…" Kaede sighed.

" Here." She said tossing a small doll at her. Kaede caught the small doll dressed in white. It had blonde hair with golden eyes, thought at the moment they were shut. Kaede hugged it gently.

" Buranshe." She said snuggling it.

" Remember today is the day that we're getting persocoms. You're getting one based off your angel, right?" Sai said holding up her own doll/angel, Shirahime.

" It's Thursday already?" Kaede asked sweetly.

" You've been asleep remember?" Sai said in an overly agitated tone.

" Yes. Here we are." She said pointing at the persocom store. They entered excitedly.

" Welcome girls. We have new parts, new models, old models, anything to do with persocoms; we have it. How can I help you?" A man with shiny glasses and a white flowing lab coat said.

" Hey, I know you. You're the creator of Angelic Layer, Ichirou Mihara. You know about persocoms too?" Kaede asked.

" No! My identity is broken. How did you know?" He asked crazily.

" After you married the queen of Angelic Layer, Suzuhara Shuuko, who couldn't know about you. So you made persocoms too?" Kaede said staring at all the robots before her. The man gained his composure all too quickly and coughed politely.

" Yes I am the creator of both. I see you are an Angelic Layer fan." He said spotting Kaede's angel. " Oh, that's one of my favorite angels, Buranshe. And you are the Deus referred to as the "Ice Machine." He said turning to Sai. Sai had a stern face on as she usually did around all people besides Kaede. She appeared cold as she crossed her arms. " Umm…right" Mihara said tugging at his collar. " What are you looking for?"

" A persocom that looks like Buranshe." Kaede said still scanning the void faces.

" Well you can make the clothes for your persocom just like you did with your angel. I'll look for persocoms with short blond hair and long light blue hair in the back." Mihara said looking at Sai and then Kaede. He walked quickly into the backroom.

" Hey Kaede, come here and look at this." Sai called her friend. Kaede walked briskly over to where Sai was standing and looked at the persocom on display.

" It looks exactly like me." She gasped. The resemblance was astounding. She was dressed in a maid's outfit.

" That was custom made by one very smart kid. I think his name was Minoru. Something like that. He builds persocoms out of school. He keeps most of them, but he sold us a couple. I can show you more if you like." Mihara suggested.

" No this will be fine." Kaede said taking out her change purse. Mihara stepped behind the counter. Kaede paid for both persocoms as she smiled the whole time. Mihara opened the ears on both persocoms pushed their 'on' buttons. Their heads lifted and their eyes opened. Kaede's persocom's eyes were bright gold and Sai's were icy gray. The four of them walked out of the store. " That name that Mr. Mihara said was familiar." Kaede said.

" Minoru?" Sai asked.

" Yeah…really familiar." She murmured. Her brain twisted trying to remember that name.

" Hey! You are not stagnating to remember this!" Sai ordered.

" Alright, alright. Settle down Sai. I'll just try to remember the old fashion way." Kaede said and smiled.

****

Author's Note: If you didn't get the whole stagnating thing, read the above Author's Note. This may seem like an Angelic Layer fic, but trust me it isn't. Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

****

Author's Note: I'm not sure where I'm going with this fic so it might be a while before I update again. Please enjoy.

****

Disclaimer: Must I keep telling who own Chobits? You'd think after the first chapter you would know. For you, I will tell you. Chobits belongs to CLAMP, not me.

****

Chapter 2

" Why are you dragging me along?" Hideki whined. He tucked his hands behind his head as he reluctantly walked next to his young friend, Minoru.

" I figured a country boy like you could get out once in a while. Plus, my order for persocom parts came in the shop. You could learn something. The owner is a brilliant man." Minoru informed him.

" That still doesn't explain why I _have _to be here." Hideki complained.

" Humor me." He replied shortly. They walked into the persocom store. The cool air conditioning chilled their faces from the summer heat. The lights were dim compared to the sweltering sun.

" Ah! Minoru your parts are here. Let me go get them." Mihara said briskly whisking away to the back.

" Thanks." Minoru murmured. He turned to a persocom that the girl only a day before had been staring at.

" Still haven't found a home Yuzuki #2? Tsk, tsk. You are to great a persocom to be collecting dust." He said with pity.

" Here we are." Mihara said coming back to the front of the store. He handed the parts to Minoru who eagerly took them. He paid and quickly left dragging the bored Hideki along.

" I just remembered." Hideki exclaimed punching his palm with his fist. " I have to go pick up Chi at the bakery. Love to stay, but I can't. See ya, Minoru." He said waving quickly and running the opposite way. Minoru rolled his eyes as he continued walking to back home.

" Shoot!" Kaede yelled.

" What's wrong?" Sai said looking up at her. She was sitting on the floor programming her persocom carefully. The machine's eyes were blank as the data quickly poured through the wire.

" I forgot my receipt. My insurance won't cover my persocom if I don't show them the receipt." She explained. Sai sighed, shut off her persocom, who's head hung limply soon after, and rose to her feet.

" C'mon." She said in an exhausted voice. They left the house quickly so they could return all the sooner.

" Thank you again." Minoru said pushing open the glass door with his back. He shifted the brown paper shopping bags uncomfortably. " Yuzuki, do you mind helping me out here?" He asked.

" Certainly sir." She answered and smiled. She grabbed half of the bags and easily carried them.

" Thank you." He said relieved.

" C'mon Sai. The stores right up here. I know it's hot but we can make it. Then we can go home." Kaede urged. Her friend lagged behind dying from the humidity. A small boy walking towards her stopped and talked to his persocom.

(That's the persocom that looks like me.) Kaede noted to herself. She continued to walk watching the boy and the robot in the corner of her eye. The boy turned around suddenly slamming into her. She toppled to the ground her glasses flying across the pavement.

" Oh! I'm so sorry!" He said quickly. He scrunched down to help her up, but her friend was already at her side.

" Watch where you're going, jerk!" Sai snapped.

" I'm sorry." He repeated. The boy looked at the girl who had fallen.

(She looks like Yuzuki…like my sister.) Minoru thought. He quickly scanned her head to toe to notice her glasses broken on the pavement. " Are these yours?" He asked handing them to her.

" Oh yes, thank you." Kaede put them on to discover that indeed they were broken. " Well this isn't good."

" I'm afraid it's my fault. I only brought enough money to pay for my parts. My house is right around the corner, I can get you money for your glasses." Minoru suggested.

" No really, it's alright." Kaede returned.

" I insist." Minoru insisted.

" Well, okay." She said giving in. " Sai can you help me walk. I'm afraid I can't see anything without my glasses."

" Whatever." Sai replied firmly grabbing her arm and guiding her to Minoru's house. They arrived at a huge mansion with the finest of luxuries. Sai gawked at the tall tapestries and the elegant artwork hanging in the doorway. " It's beautiful." Sai commented.

" You'll have to describe it to me later." Kaede added sweetly.

" Oh right. You can't see. I'm sorry." She apologized. Kaede only smiled as they made their way up the stairs.

" Yuzuki can you please take them to the dining area?" Minoru asked as he ducked into another room.

" Yes sir." The persocom replied. She was waiting for the company at the top of stairs. She stood politely, smiling. " My name is Yuzuki. Please follow me." She said gently.

" Her voice sounds familiar." Kaede said. Yuzuki guided them into a room that was splendidly decorated with the finest accessories and knick-knacks.

" Would you like anything to drink?" She asked.

" Water will be fine." Kaede requested. Sai held up her hand signaling the persocom that she wanted one also. Yuzuki nodded and left the room swiftly.

" Are you okay?" Sai asked.

" I'm fine. I'm just a little uncomfortable without my glasses." She explained. Yuzuki brought the beverages and sat down across from them at the polished fancy table.

" How are you related to the boy?" Sai asked out of the blue.

" Minoru? I'm one of his custom made persocoms." Yuzuki replied.

(That's the name that Mr. Mihara gave us. So he created this persocom also?) Kaede thought to herself. She could not look upon the persocom but could tell that the girl did not have the usual persocom ears.

" Oh, I thought you were his sister or something." Sai said slouching in his chair.

(Keyword: Sister; Minoru's sister. One object found. Picture in bedroom.) Yuzuki's head calculated.

" I'll be right back. I'd like to show you something." The persocom excused herself from the room. Kaede looked at Sai who shrugged. Yuzuki returned shortly holding a picture frame. " This is his sister that died a couple years ago. I'm modeled and programmed after her." She explained. Sai took the frame and stared at it absent-mindedly. She looked up at Kaede and back down at the picture.

(This looks like Kaede.) She thought. She felt this was more than a coincidence but knew not to mention it. Kaede received the picture only to see blurry blobs of color. She stared at it for moment, so as not to be rude, and returned it to Yuzuki.

" Do you know her name?" Sai asked.

" Yes. Her name was-" She began.

" Here's the money." Minoru said stepping in the room. Yuzuki quickly hid the picture behind her back. She did not want to upset her master by bringing up painful memories from his past. " Yuzuki can you get me a glass of water also?" He asked. She nodded and ducked out of the room. She quickly walked into her room and placed the picture back on the nightstand. She then stared at it and picked it back up. Yuzuki opened the back and gazed at the inscription.

__

Kaede and Minoru, Ages 11 and 8.

****

Author's Note: Hopefully more ideas will pop in my head. So, you just have to wait for my brain to start popping. 


	3. Chapter 3

****

A/N: Sorry for taking so long. Like I said before, I run out of ideas really quickly. This chapter is mostly dedicated to why Kaede is in the position she is in today.

****

Disclaimer: I don't own Chobits or Angelic Layer.

Chapter 3

" Well Kaede, as long as you stay calm and stay away from stressful situations you should be okay. But if you do stagnate again, it will be longer than for three days. The more you stagnate, the longer you'll stay under." The doctor explained to his patient. Kaede stared curiously at the x-rays of her skull. Dark blotches contaminated the insides of the skull.

" But, doctor. By stagnating, I can remember my past. I can remember…my brother." She protested. She was wearing the newly bought glasses Minoru had paid for. They were the same thin wired-framed glasses that covered the tops of her smiling cheeks.

" Kaede, stagnating is what got you here." He said slipping off his own glasses and ruffling his hair in thought. He sighed and replaced the glasses back on his thin cheeks. " When your father was chasing you, you were so scared that you blanked out."

" How do you know that?" She asked. The doctor held up files that had the word 'confidential' stamped on it with red ink.

" I know your psychiatrist." He answered, smiled, and threw the files onto his desk. Kaede rolled her eyes but smiled anyway. " So have you figured anything else out?" He asked. The doctor clicked his pen, sat down, and leaned back in his roller chair with his leg propped up against the other; the files open in his lap.

" Well, I haven't purposely stagnated since I've been in the hospital. I can vaguely remember my brother's face. It was sorta round, y'know in a cute little boyish way." She said glowing as she reminisced about his features. The doctor nodded uninterested in the unimportant details. " He had dark hair, like my father's, and glasses." Kaede listed counting off his features on her hand.

" So the reason you couldn't stay with him was because of your disease? Your family couldn't afford the money, so they drove you from your own house." He said flipping through the notes that had been taken during sessions.

" I really should be talking with my psychiatrist about this." Kaede said reluctant to give him any more information. Her shoulders drooped indicating that she couldn't hold anything from him. " Not my family. My father." She explained softly. She wore a frown as she turned her back to the doctor.

" What about your mother?" He asked already knowing the answer from the notes.

" She died when my brother and I were younger." Kaede whispered slightly squeezing her fists. She held in her tears for her unknown mother. The doctor, noticing her pain, propped up in his chair. He quickly grabbed her shoulders and looked her straight in her eyes.

" Calm down Kaede. If you continue like this, you'll stagnate. Though the environment would be perfect for it, us being in a doctor's office and all, I'd rather you not." The doctor rubbed her shoulders assuring her physically that everything would be okay.

" Okay…I'm okay now." She said wiping away the invisible tears. " It's just that my mother left us with an uncaring father. I don't like to blame people, but if I could blame it on someone, I would blame it on her." Kaede said breathing heavily. She new an attack was coming on, but she did not want to give in to her weakness; her disease.

" You were right. This isn't my place." The doctor resumed. He put the files back in his desk. He went back to her and rubbed the top of her head. " You'll be okay, kid. I hope you can find your brother without stagnating."

" Doctor…" Kaede whispered hoarsely.

" What is it Kaede?" He asked kindly.

" I really need to talk about this now. I can't wait for the next appointment. Please doctor. Please listen to me." She said gingerly taking his hand off her head and rubbing it between her two palms. He smiled softly and sat back down in his chair.

" Okay Kaede." He agreed. He grabbed a pen ready for anything.

" My father…didn't want a daughter. He wanted a son to play ball with. He was a conventional father." She said and smiled. " But my brother kept to himself in his room. All he ever did was read and study for school. I enjoyed sitting with him on a big bean bag chair telling him stories that I had just read in school." Her smile faded slowly. " My father got really angry with him and started to ignore my brother completely. After my mother died, he cut us off completely. The only time I would see him would be at the dinner table." Kaede paused and brought her hands to her chest. " But then we started seeing him a lot more. He lost his job. All he did was lay around the house, depressed. There was no money coming in. All I could do was convince my brother to get odd jobs. I knew he hated…but I still made him do it." Kaede murmured. Real tears fell from her eyes. The doctor started to stand but Kaede held out her hand signaling to stop. " And one day, the medical bill came. We didn't have enough money to pay for it. I hid it in my room from my father and brother. He found it, rather my father found it." Kaede ducked her head as the tears trickled down her cheeks and plummeted to the cheaply carpeted floor. " That's when he chased me from the house." She looked up slowly at the doctor before shutting her eyes and dropping to the ground.

" Kaede!" The doctor exclaimed. He rushed to her side and put her head on his lap. He placed his cheek over her mouth. " Still breathing…" He muttered hastily. He grabbed her wrist to find a rushed heart beat. " Dammit I told you to stay calm." The doctor swore under his breath. " Someone get in hear and call an ambulance!" He yelled for his assistance. The rushing of feet could be heard on the other side before it burst open with three or four nurses curiously worried about the situation. " Get me her medicine!" He strictly ordered. Two of them rushed from the room and the other sat down next to the doctor.

" What happened?" She asked worriedly.

" She fainted; hopefully from exhaustion." The doctor explained.

The red lights of an ambulance flashed through the window as the doctor lifted Kaede on the stretcher.

" Here's her medicine." A fatigued nurse said thrusting the medicine into his hands.

" Tilt her head." He commanded. The doctor unscrewed the top of the medicine and poured an unmeasured amount of liquid medicine into her mouth. She swallowed all of it without choking. Her heavy breathing slowed as it turned into a normal pace. " Get her out of here." The doctor uttered his last order before sitting, exhausted, in his rolling chair. He placed his glasses on in a professional manner and leaned back in his chair once again. He clicked the pen and scribbled a small note in the files.

(All of this just to find a stupid brother.) He thought and sighed. The doctor looked at the dark spots in her brain before shaking his head and getting back to his business.

****

A/N: I hope you liked it! Please stick with me because I will not abandon this fic!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: My computer crashed so I'm using my mom's laptop. I don't really like using any other computer besides my own so that's why it took so long for me to update. Sorry for the wait and I hope you enjoy the story.  
  
Disclaimer: Not the owner of Angelic Layer or Chobits.  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Kaede lay on the white hospital bed, her once braided hair strung raggedly across the clean cut pillows. An oxygen mask was strapped sturdily to her mouth and nose, aiding her in her need for air. A light pulse activated the green-lit machine next to her bedside. A few doctors murmured outside confiding within each other their opinions on the sickly girl. Sai, her eyes dry but her cheeks stained with old tears, sat next to her dear friend clutching her friend. She clasped the hand tightly like she was the one holding her friend here. If she dared to let it go, Kaede might disappear from the world forever.  
Another machine rested on top of the heart monitor. Small thin lines were drawn scraggily on a graphed piece of paper lazily. The lines were monotonously thin as the pens shook slightly. This machine was the most important for Kaede's condition. It was the one reading her brain's activity.  
"This is pathetic, Kaede." Sai whispered. She laid her head on her friend's shoulder while stroking the pale skin on her arm. "You always have to do this, don't you? If only you knew how much this hurt me. Maybe then you wouldn't do this to yourself. You aren't just hurting yourself. You aren't just hurting yourself..." Sai softly said. She felt the common tears in her eyes as she allowed them to trace the paths of the old ones. "You better wake up. You better wake up or else I'll-"  
Suddenly the needles on the brain machine quivered excitingly. It stroked across the paper as they jiggled faster and faster. The thin line turned mountainous as it traced the forms of treacherous peaks. Sai quickly jumped from the bed and ran out of the room. She ran into one of the huddled doctors almost crashing to the floor. Lucky for her, her embarrassment was saved as the doctors rushed into the other room. She composed herself before returning to her friend.  
"What's going on?!" One of the doctors exclaimed as he quickly sifted through the paper. He scanned over it quickly trying to solve the sudden change. He darted a desperate look at Sai. "You didn't touch it, did you?"  
"No, I was just sitting there and it started to go nuts." She explained. The doctor nodded trying to find another solution.  
"What is going on here?" He asked himself over and over.  
"She's remembering." Sai said her eyes widening with the answer. "She's trying to find her past." The doctor dropped the papers and rushed to his patient's side.  
"Is there anything we can do?" He asked.  
"All we can do is wait." Sai sighed. She calmed herself and returned to her friend's side. This time, though, she rested her head next to Kaede's.  
(Let me be there. Let me help you Kaede. Just think of me and you'll be back here in no time.) Sai thought closing her eyes.  
  
Kaede found herself again in the dreaded scenario. The man, who was revealed to be her father, had not arrived. She nervously looked around anxiously waiting for him to arrive. She spotted the window where her brother always watched from. She ran over to it, trying to open it. The window would not open as she turned her back to it. The man had arrived and was now slowly walking towards her.  
"You're my father." She stated with a sense of courage. "I'm not afraid of you anymore. You can't take me away from him again. Not this time." She said raising her chin in determination.  
"Kaede, please come back! I'm not ready for you to leave yet! I need you..." A distant voice echoed through the black room.  
"That's right! This is in my head. You're dead. You're not real; you're just a figment of my imagination." She said stepping closer to the dangerous man. Her heart quickened. This was a warning for her. If this continued, she would pass out again.  
(Sai, help me remember. I don't ever want to come back here.) Kaede pleaded through thought hoping her friend would hear her. The man shook irregularly before slowly fading from sight. Kaede smiled happy with the results.  
The window was still empty as she made her way over to it. She pounded on the glass angrily.  
"Glass will not stand between me and my past." She said angrily. She pounded on it harder. The glass bent under her fists yielding the impact. "Let me in!" She screamed. Kaede's breath became shallow as she continued to pound on the intangible glass. She wheezed with exhaustion, but was reluctant to give in to her disease. "Please...let me see him. He's all I have..." Kaede prayed. She dragged her nails on the glass as she sank lower to the ground. Her disease was getting the best of her. If she collapsed now, she may never return to either of the worlds.  
The window ripped under her filed nails. She looked up at the small holes. Kaede caught her second wind as she eagerly tore at the openings. It soon was large enough for her to pass into the other room. She questionably stepped through.  
It was empty. The hard wood floors were dusty with age. Her footprints were left behind as she found the middle of the room. A small light shown on her and her features. She blinked at the new brightness of the room. A small boy appeared from an unexplored corner; his back to her. Kaede hesitantly stepped over to him. She lightly touched his square shoulder. The boy turned and faced her. His face was clear.  
"You're..." Kaede gasped. The boy nodded.  
"I'm your brother." He said and smiled.  
  
A/N: Yeah thanks for reading. Review and have a wonderful life! 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
Author's Note: Same excuse as last time. Sorry. I really am.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Chobits. But if I did...*goes off into dreamland*  
  
Sai watched her friend struggle in her bed. It seemed like a hard battle was being fought. She relaxed when her friend did. Kaede opened her eyes and smiled.  
  
"Hi, Sai" She said cheerfully. Sai smiled despite the frustration building inside of her.  
  
"Guess what?"  
  
"What?" Sai asked while trying to calm her anger.  
  
"I found him." Kaede responded with excitement.  
  
"Really? Who is it?" Sai asked joining in with her excitement.  
  
"Remember the sweet little boy who paid for my glasses?" She said ecstatically.  
  
"Minoru? He's your brother?" Sai exclaimed jumping from her seat. "I knew it! After seeing that picture of you two, I knew it was him!" Sai grabbed Kaede's wrist and dragged her from the bed. "We have to go see him now!"  
  
"I just woke up, shouldn't I rest a little first?" She made a reluctant excuse.  
  
"I know that you feel fine, why are you making excuses? Don't you want to meet him?" Sai asked still pulling on her friend.  
  
"I'm a little scared." Kaede admitted.  
  
"Kaede..." Sai said releasing her wrist. She sat back down and looked at her friend thoughtfully. "This is your family Kaede. This is your only family member that cared for you. Why wouldn't you meet him? You've worked so hard and you've finally found him." She closed her eyes and rested for a moment. "Your fear surprises me Kaede." Sai opened her eyes to meet an empty bed. She glanced behind her to see Kaede standing, eagerly waiting to leave. She was already dressed in her school uniform.  
  
"Shall we go?" Kaede offered. Sai smiled and nodded before standing up and walking out with her friend. They left the hospital enthusiastically into the night air. The stars blissfully appeared contrasting against the dark sky. The clock on one of the nearby department stores read 10:00 pm.  
  
"Isn't it too late? Maybe we should go tomorrow?" Sai offered. Kaede shook her head and kept speed walking to the large mansion around the corner. The street lights flickered cautiously, daring to go out. They stopped at the front gate. The lights were off giving the place a haunted aspect. Sai shivered slightly. Kaede pushed the intercom button and waited for a reply. Five minutes passed before she pushed it again. Two yellow lights glowed through the translucent windows. The static of the intercom alarmed Kaede and made her jump slightly.  
  
"Who's this?" The voice of the small boy asked groggily over the intercom.  
  
"Your sister." Kaede said kindly and smiled. Tears formed at the corner of her eyes from her happiness. She lifted her glasses and wiped them away gently. The gates opened automatically. Kaede grasped Sai's hand; more comfort for herself than for her friend. They walked through the archway together and onto the lush, fertilizer-fed grass. Halfway there, the grand front doors opened. An outline of a small boy was blackened by the light behind him. Another figure appeared by his side. This figure had long curly hair and stood sullenly behind her master. The small boy betrayed the doorknob and silently ran out onto the lawn. His glasses were cluttered across his face. They blocked his hysteric eyes. Kaede stopped when he came as close as three feet away from her. They both stared at each other doubtfully. The boy suddenly unfroze and dived at his sister. His arms wrapped around her waist as he buried his head into her stomach. His hot tears stained her uniform.  
  
"Kaede! Kaede! Why did you leave me? Why did you die?" He shouted through his tears. His cries were muted in her stomach. Kaede softly combed her fingers through the hairs on the back of his head and smiled. Tears also trickled down her smiling cheeks.  
  
"I didn't die. I went to sleep. Dad brought me to a morgue. The guy there saw that I was still alive and brought me to the hospital." She said softly. She calmed his sobbing with the continuous rubbing on his back and head.  
  
"Where have you been for four years?" He asked quietly. He looked up at her. His eyes were puffy and his face was red.  
  
"I've been in a dream. Rather a nightmare. But I'm better now, I won't dream anymore." Kaede cooed.  
  
"You mean..." Sai asked hopefully.  
  
"I'm cured." Kaede beamed.  
  
"How do you know?" She asked again.  
  
"Cause I found him. I found my brother." Kaede looked down at the small angel entwined in her arms and smiled broader. "And I am not afraid of him anymore."  
  
"Father?" Minoru asked sympathetically.  
  
"Yes. I was always afraid of him; in my dreams and in reality. But he is no longer part of either life." She said assuring herself and her friends.  
  
"Would you like to come in?" Minoru asked while stepping away from her. He had wiped all his happiness and sadness on his sleeve and stared at the two ladies hopefully.  
  
"We would love to." Kaede answered for both of them.  
  
"Actually I have to go home." Sai said glancing at the clock. "See you kids later." She smiled one of her rare smiles and walked briskly out the front gate. Kaede's eyes traveled with her friend until she disappeared into the night. She turned and smiled again at her new found brother. They locked hands and walked in together. They passed Yuzuki who stood silently at the doorway. Minoru did not say a word to her. She watched them pass and then shut the door behind the two.  
  
"Mr. Minoru, would you like something to drink?" Yuzuki asked when she appeared in the sitting room.  
  
"I would like some tea. Do you want anything Kaede?" Minoru asked without looking at his persocom.  
  
"Tea would be lovely. Thank you." Kaede answered and smiled at the machinery. Yuzuki smiled the identical smile back at its owner and evaded from the room. She quickly turned the corner and leaned against the white painted wall.  
  
(These feelings were not programmed. Did I see them in my observations?) Yuzuki asked herself. She did a quick internet search on the emotions she was feeling and came up with a list of similar results. (Jealousy, neglection, depression, sadness, love) Were some of the top contenders. (I must erase these feelings.) She told herself. (Erasing...) Yuzuki's eye went blank as the sound of clicking and working of the software overpowered her programmed breathing. (System Error. File requested for deletion is not found.) Her eyes became lifelike again. (That's strange.)  
  
"Yuzuki? Do you need help?" Minoru called from the sitting area.  
  
"N-No Mr. Minoru. I am sorry. I will be with you in a minute." She said and ran to the kitchen.  
  
Author's Note: I really can't put out a good chapter anymore, can I? Hmmm, maybe next time I will. 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
  
Author's Note: It's been a while, eh? School's out so hopefully I'll be updating a lot more. I'm glad you are still there.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Chobits or Angelic Layer. Actually, most of the Angelic Layer references will be gone from here on out.  
  
A couple weeks had passed. Minoru and Kaede lived happily in Minoru's mansion. Everything seemed to be fine and dandy, but there was something unseen. It is said that a persocom can only have feelings if they are programmed to hold those emotions. Unknowing to Minoru, Yuzuki had inherited many new and difficult to handle emotions. Internally, she was struggling. Yuzuki did not let anyone see how she was feeling for fear of deletion. Though she was not used to these new emotions, she did not dislike them. Actually, they comforted her. Yuzuki liked that she shared the same emotions as the people she lived with. It was quite a liberating feeling.  
  
"I'm going to school you guys." Minoru shouted from the hallway entrance.  
  
"Mr. Minoru, don't forget you jacket!" Yuzuki exclaimed scooping up the school jacket from the kitchen. She quickly dashed through the rooms. She slowed when she approached Kaede.  
  
"I'll take it to him if you want." She offered.  
  
"No, I can handle it. Thank you." Yuzuki returned. She squeezed the jacket closer to her torso as she swiftly walked past her twin.  
  
(Competition...) Yuzuki thought. This was another emotion. Lately it seemed like she was mentally listing off all the ailments that had been bestowed on her.  
  
Minoru waited patiently at the door. He gently moved one arm into the jacket. Yuzuki held the jacket up to help him with the other sleeve. He easily glided his arm through.  
  
"Thank you Yuzuki." Minoru said. "Good-bye."  
  
"Good-bye Mr. Minoru." She replied. She smiled and waved slightly before shutting the door delicately. She sighed and leaned against the door. This part of the day was always the hardest for her. The other persocoms cleaned the house while she waited anxiously for him to return. Usually, she would sit on his bed and imagine conversations that she would have with him. They would talk about school or computers or anything he wanted to talk about. She knew all about what he liked and how to respond accordingly. But lately, his bed seemed untouchable. And the conversations she imagined seemed unimaginable. Yuzuki knew that they would never happen.  
  
"What do you do when he's out of the house?" Kaede asked innocently. She had been over at her friend's house playing Angelic Layer everyday right after Minoru left for school. Today, it seemed, she was not departing.  
  
"I usually wait for Mr. Minoru to return." Yuzuki stated as if it was the most normal thing to say.  
  
"You wait for six hours? Don't you ever get bored?" She asked, stunned.  
  
"I have not experienced boredom before. Is it fun?"  
  
"You must be kidding. C'mon Yuzuki, we're going to have fun today!" Kaede exclaimed grabbing Yuzuki's hand.  
  
"It is cold out. We must wear jackets." Yuzuki protested and reached for the closet.  
  
"Live a little Yuzuki. A little cold never hurt anyone. I can tell you that people take this kind of weather for granted. I did miss this weather." Kaede confessed. "Let's go to the park." Yuzuki, loss for words, only nodded. She abandoned her attempt for the jackets and stepped outside for the first time against her programming.  
  
The two girls walked along the sidewalk side by side. The fall air was crisp and breath-taking. Kaede felt short of breath, but in a non-sick way.  
  
"Look at the twins. Aren't they adorable?" An elderly woman, who was sitting at an outdoor table at restaurant, cooed. The two girls looked at each other and smiled.  
  
"I have been meaning to ask about that." Kaede mumbled.  
  
"Mr. Minoru modeled me after you after you died. I was supposed to be your replacement." She explained.  
  
"Oh." Kaede said shortly.  
  
"Would it be okay if I asked you questions so I could be more like you? I would really like to please Mr. Minoru." Yuzuki pleaded.  
  
"Um...okay. Let's go find a bench or something to sit on." Kaede agreed and turned off the sidewalk. Yuzuki followed and shortly after sat down next to her twin on the curb. After feeling comfortable, Kaede began to speak. "You know, Yuzuki, you should try to be your own person. I don't think it would be any help if there were two of me."  
  
"But my programming-" Yuzuki started.  
  
"Don't follow it. Just do what you want to do Yuzuki. It would be a shame if I replaced you. I don't want you to fade from our household. I think Minoru holds you very close to his heart." She interrupted. Kaede smiled her famous kind smile and got up from the curb. "I'd like to walk."  
  
"A-Alright." Yuzuki hesitated. She got up and caught up to Kaede so she could walk by her side.  
  
"Could you tell me a little about yourself anyway? I would like to know more about you. You are someone I would like to become friends with." Yuzuki said happily.  
  
"Sure! Let's see...well the main thing about me is that I've been asleep for a couple years. I was sorta in a coma-like state, but I got to choose when I got to wake up. I stayed asleep because I wanted to find Minoru. My dreams were like a portal to my past. The only thing I regret is making my friend Sai so sad. You should know everything else. I'm sure Minoru always talked about me." Kaede explained. She seemed happy now that she did not have to worry about her illness. What Kaede failed to notice was the blankness of Yuzuki's eyes. She had recorded the information regardless of the small speech Kaede had just fed her.  
  
"I'm glad that you are better now." Yuzuki replied.  
  
"Yeah, so am I. I'm glad that I get to spend all this time with Minoru." She added. "You're lucky. You got to grow up with him. I'm sure you made a good replacement. Thank you for being there for him." They smiled sickingly sweet at each other and began heading home.  
  
"Kaede, Yuzuki! Where did you go?" He asked in a worried tone. The two girls looked at each other and Kaede giggled.  
  
"Just for a walk." She informed. She hugged him and walked into the hallway.  
  
"Yuzuki, can you make a snack for Kaede and me?" Minoru requested. Yuzuki, lost in a dream about her hugging him from coming home from a walk, snapped back to reality.  
  
"Yes Mr. Minoru." She answered sadly. She walked into the kitchen and waited for the door to slam behind her. Yuzuki felt a sinking feeling inside. Unfortunately for her, she did not recognize that this feeling was part of love. She pulled a few trays out of the refrigerator and set them on the floating island. After shutting the fridge, she put the trays in the oven.  
  
(Maybe it would be better if I did get my memory erased. At least then I could function properly.) She thought. The oven bell rang and she removed the trays. They had a miscellaneous amount and kind of cookie. She shoveled them neatly onto a plate and carried it over into the living room.  
  
Kaede and Minoru were talking about some unknown topic. She dully placed the plate on the table and stood promptly beside it. She waited until he addressed her. If he did not, then she would continue standing there until he left the room. In that action, she would follow and again stand somewhere out of the way. This was one such night. Minoru seemed too absorbed in his conversation with his long-lost sister to pay her any attention. The only recognition she got was when he asked her to do something. She willingly did, but wished that she could add to the conversation. Kaede, more than once, shot concerned looks at her. Yuzuki just smiled.  
  
Night cast its sleepy shadow across the neighborhood, trying to put all the residents in there bed for the night. Kaede had gone to sleep earlier while Minoru stayed up to do his tedious homework. Yuzuki acted as his calculator.  
  
"Have I become a burden?" Yuzuki asked after a difficult Calculus problem.  
  
"What makes you think that?" He returned.  
  
"Well...Miss Kaede has returned. I was made for the soul purpose of replacing her. I was thinking that my presence is unnecessary now that she is back." Yuzuki explained.  
  
"Yuzuki...no. I don't think you're a burden. I enjoy your company so much." He stated. He removed his glasses and stared at her directly. "Actually, I've been meaning to update your data. I want you to be-"  
  
"Minoru! I think its time for bed!" Kaede shouted from her bedroom upstairs. Minoru glanced at the clock and jumped slightly. "It has gotten late. Yuzuki, would you mind packing up down here? I'm going to bed." He asked and left the table. It seemed like he forgot his train of thought. Yuzuki nodded as she bent down to push his plethora of books into his bag. After that, she put away the pencils and things that he had been using. Yuzuki sighed before turning off the lights of the living room.  
  
Yuzuki found herself at the stairwell and began to climb the carpeted stairs. She reached the top and silently made her way to Minoru's bedroom. His light had been off for about the hour it took Yuzuki to pack up. She carefully turned the doorknob. It did not creak, to her relief, as she slid into his room. She shut the door behind her and crept over to his bed. The only light was the streetlights flooding in through his open window. A bitter breeze grazed her cheeks. Her automatic response was to keep Minoru warm. She sat down gingerly on his bed and tucked the fleece blankets up to his neck. Satisfied, Yuzuki took to staring at her beloved. The generic thought would be 'he looked angelic as he breathed in his pleasant slumber'. No other sentence could describe him.  
  
Yuzuki put her face close to him. The lights made him glow in a white translucent glow. She could feel his breath on her cheeks. Good thing she did not need to breathe or he would have felt her. A crazy thought passed her mind.  
  
(I want to kiss him...) She thought.  
  
"Just do what you want to Yuzuki." Kaede's voice lingered into her head.  
  
(It would be against my programming. And...and Minoru would wake up. I don't know how he would respond.) Her mind raced.  
  
"Don't follow it." Kaede's voice rang again.  
  
(All I want is his love. All I want is his attention. Even if it's just for this moment, even if he'll destroy me afterward, I just want him to know how much I love him.) Yuzuki leaned closer. Her lips almost touched his. She hesitated, still fighting with herself.  
  
"Kaede..." Minoru murmured. Caught by surprise, Yuzuki jumped back.  
  
(That's right. I am obsolete. He has Kaede now. He doesn't need me. He just keeps me running out of kindness.) Yuzuki thought sadly. She lied down next to him and shut her eyes. If she was human, she would be silently weeping. It was a bad thing for her to be expressing. She could not release her sadness through tears or words. All Yuzuki could do was lie there hoping that this horrible feeling would leave. And that's all she did. She lied there hoping her sadness would just go away.  
  
Author's Note: I guess in the next few chapters, the story will be done. I don't really want to let go yet. Sorry for ending on such a sad note. Stay tuned for the next chapter. It shouldn't take as long now that school is out. Thanks for sticking around and reading my story. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Author's Note: **Sorry for not updating. I went to Florida with my dad. I had lots of fun and I wrote part of the chapter in the hotel! This fic will wind down in the next few chapters. I don't know how many it will take, but I'm glad I've gotten this much feedback already. Thanks everyone for the support! On to the chapter!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Chobits, but if I did... goes off into dreamland

The next morning, Yuzuki made breakfast, readied herself, and prepared the whole house for another exhausting day. Breakfast was made, dishes were cleaned, and good-byes were said. Minoru set off to school and its educational adventures. Kaede and Yuzuki manned the house as the fervent cleaning chore had begun. Actually, the other persocoms took care of the chores. The two girls stood back and watched. Both were bored and made the pathetic wish of being one of the mindless maid persocoms. Yuzuki desperately wanted to escape her emotions and Kaede just flat out wanted something to do.

The two stepped out onto the porch. They discussed Kaede's disease and all its horrors with it. They conversed about the three years Kaede had slept; the three years that distanced and separated her from the world. Both had developed a hatred for Kaede's father. Both felt the reunion with Minoru was the best part of Kaede's life. Every sentence, every word, and every letter out of Kaede's mouth was instantly Yuzuki's sentence, word, and letter. Every minute she recorded. Every second she became more like Kaede. After all, that was her programming. Yuzuki couldn't go against it even if she wanted to.

"So when you went to sleep for three years, did everyone miss you?" Yuzuki questioned.

"I would think so. If someone I loved suddenly wasn't there, I would be heart-broken." Kaede answered. She caught the blankness in Yuzuki's eyes. "Yuzuki, are you recording me?"

"Well, yes. I can not go against my programming." She answered.

"Remember that discussion we had the other day? About being ourselves? Yuzuki, like I said before, it would be pointless to have two of the same person in this world. Everyone is different." Kaede sighed impatiently. Yuzuki still didn't understand. "You stepped away from your programming yesterday when you didn't put on a jacket." She said giving an example.

"That is because you told you not to. I follow the words of Mr. Minoru and you." Yuzuki replied.

"I'm telling you not to follow your programming then. Be whoever you want to be." Kaede ordered. "I mean it Yuzuki." She said slightly peeved, stepping off the porch. "I'm leaving. I'll be back for dinner."

"Have a nice day." Yuzuki said cheerfully. She waved and then turned to go inside.

(I'm sorry Miss Kaede. Mr. Minoru's special programming is important. It is the only thing that he gave me. Without it, I could not function. If I went against it, I would be mindless.) Yuzuki thought to herself. She shut the door softly beside her and took to roaming the house. Besides the persocoms that were cleaning, she was all by herself. She didn't know what to do, but walk around. Each room held a special memory. In the kitchen, she remembered baking cookies with Minoru on rainy days. In the study, she helped him with his homework. And in the library she would read stories out loud to Minoru even though he was perfectly capable of reading them himself.

Yuzuki stepped into the book-cluttered room. Each book held a story that was already told or was bursting to be opened. Most of the stories that she had read with Minoru were about knights and fighting. She had been fine with it at the time, but now her lust for romance was left unfulfilled. She abandoned the shelf full of brave knights and searched the remaining, foreign shelves. Most of them were filled with non-fiction books on math, science, computers, and anything that was educational. Her hope dwindling, Yuzuki searched for anything remotely interesting. In the corner was a small section, the last section she checked. The book's spines were covered with a good layer of dust. The bright colors of pinks and purples were dimmed to soft baby-skin pink and light lilac by age. These books were different from all the other in the library. Yuzuki pulled out one and brushed away the dust leaving the title, printed in a resilient gold, to shine again.

"Sleeping Beauty." Yuzuki read. On the cover was a picture of a beautiful girl with golden locks of hair, ivory skin, and deep red cheeks and lips lying on a silky bed. She flipped the cover to reveal a name written on the hard cover's back. It read Saitou Kaede. Yuzuki chose another book from the dusty shelf and wiped it off. "Snow White." Book after book revealed names of classic fairy tales. This was exactly what she was looking for. Yuzuki brought the small stack of books over to a plush armchair and jumped into the mystical worlds.

After finishing most of them, she noticed a pattern. Most of the girl's had been cursed of some sort and only a kiss could cure them. The books had opened up a whole new thought process for Yuzuki.

(Maybe if I went to sleep, Mr. Minoru would finally notice me. And if I did, I would be following my program also. Miss Kaede went to sleep, so should I.) Yuzuki processed. She returned the books and then went to her room. Her bed was a canopy bed. She released the fabric tied to the bedposts letting them conceal the bed. Yuzuki entered the concealed bed and lay down and placed her hands to where her heart would have been if she were human. She felt no comforting beat to reassure her she was alive.

(I'm sorry Mr. Minoru. It's either this or deletion. I don't want to leave you yet. I love everything about you. All I want to do is be with you. I wouldn't care if you ignored me or treated me like an appliance. Just don't destroy me. I know I ought to be. I haven't completed my task as being your sister. Miss Kaede doesn't want me to be her. I am at a loss of what to do. I guess now that I look at the whole situation, that this is just a way to escape.) She thought. It seemed like this thought was almost a letter or a request to Minoru that would never be sent. Her self-learning program had run wild and she was paying for it now. She had learned about human emotions and now they burdened her. Yuzuki had tried to delete it herself, but it would not let her. She desperately wanted to go to Minoru to have him delete it, but she feared he would be disappointed with her carelessness. This seemed like the only reasonable solution.

With her last thoughts processed, Yuzuki shut down her energy supply. She cut away from Minoru's program and dropped her self-educational software. The sound of beeps and whizzes faded. The humming of her energy supply dwindled until it too died.

"I'm...sorry..." Yuzuki said. Her voice twisted with the lack of energy to support her normal voice. It deepened until it was no longer heard.

The last thing to turn off was her sight. Yuzuki peered up at the fabric draping over the wooden poles. It blurred until emptiness' black paved over it. Her dark blue eyes faded into a deadened icy blue. Her eyes appeared blind to the world and that was exactly what they were.

The world did not stop for her. Time went on around her. The sun rose in the sky, shining in through her window. It tried to wake her, but even the warmth of its rays did not penetrate the wall she had built around herself.

"I'm home!" Minoru called from the front door hours later. He paused for a minute and looked around. The maids had gathered and greeted him, but where were Kaede and Yuzuki? He figured they had taken another walk and shrugged off their absence. He advanced to the fridge to find a note. It read:

_Went to Piffle Princess. Be back around dinner._

_-Kaede_

"Huh..." Minoru said to himself. There was no mention of Yuzuki being with her. "Yuzuki?" He called again. Forgetting his quest for the refrigerator, he went back into the main hall and climbed the stairs. "Yuzuki, are you in your room?" He asked when he reached the top. He walked to the door and knocked on it. "Hello?" There was no answer from the other side. He opened the door and noticed the drapes down. There was a shaded figure behind it. "Yuzuki?" Minoru stepped forward and drew back the curtain.

"Yuzuki!" He gasped and lunged at her. He grabbed her shoulders and propped her up. "Hey! What's wrong?! Yuzuki? Answer me!" He said shaking her slightly. He received no reply. Minoru noticed her deadened eyes. A chill went up his spine. It reminded him of Kaede when he thought she had died. "Dammit! Yuzuki What have you done?!" The swear word was foreign on his young mouth. He felt anger build up inside. This anger was not toward her. He was angry with himself. Minoru connected two and two together to realize that Yuzuki had done exactly what she was programmed to do, to be his sister even if it meant reliving the horrifying event.

"Don't worry Yuzuki. I'll fix you up in no time." He said assuring himself more than her. He left her side and rustled his bangs. He had no clue what to do. He had never heard of a persocom shutting itself down. The programs and software he had installed were too complex. They intermingled and caused a crash. That was the only thing he could think of. The restore Yuzuki, he would have to erase all her data and install everything again, with modifications of course. He left the room only briefly, only to retrieve his computer. He sat down next to her on the bed and plugged her into his computer. The sound of typing was all that could be heard. Minoru found the self-educational program and right-clicked it to delete it. A toolbar popped up and offered him options; one of them was deletion. He selected it and waited for the task to process. Instead of the program simply disappearing, windows popped up with illegible writing. They rapidly multiplied until the desktop was covered. A second later, the screen went blank.

"What?" He asked himself puzzled. He tried to turn it on, but it would not comply. He looked from the blank screen to the blank expression of Yuzuki. His heart beat heavily. "Yuzuki..."

**Author's Note: **A slightly shorter chapter. I think one or two more chapters will finish this story. I'm not sure yet, but I know exactly how it will end. I'm sorry for the delay and hope you all had a pleasant time reading this chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: **You don't know how sorry I am to be writing this in March and not August. I really have been busy with school and I believe that all my readers think I have abandoned them. This should finish up the story so you won't have to hang on my responsibilities as a writer.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Chobits or Angelic Layer in any way shape or form. Just to let you know…

Chapter 8 

"Thank God! Kaede your home! Something terrible has happened to Yuzuki!" Minoru exclaimed exactly as his sister stepped into the doorway. She instantly bore a shocked expression. Kaede dropped her coat on the floor and pulled off her shoes as quickly as her fingers would allow her.

"What's wrong with her?" Kaede asked caringly as they rushed up the stairs.

"She's shut herself down." Minoru whispered stopping at the top. One of his hands hung limply off the wooden railing. He looked down at the carpet, hurt. "I'm afraid her programming was too domineering. She's gone to sleep," Minoru paused and looked up at his sister. His angry eyes were glossed over. "Just like you."

Kaede stopped instantly on the third step and winced with guilt. She realized it was her fault for telling Yuzuki all her stories. She knew that Minoru blamed her even though he wouldn't confront her directly. She averted her gaze and bit her lip.

"I have an idea. The creator of persocoms is also the creator of Angelic Layer. Maybe the equipment is interchangeable." Kaede said quickly and uncertainly. She bound down the steps and grabbed her bag. She then returned to the stairs and started to ascend. Her brother, still a statue at the top, stared at her quizzically. "I'll explain in Yuzuki's room."

Minoru only nodded and, reanimating, ran to the room. He threw open the door and jumped onto the bed. There, he delicately positioned Yuzuki's head on his lap, it serving as a pillow. He stroked her gray hair from her absent eyes.

"What are you going to do?" He asked curiously and hesitantly. Minoru did not want someone with an inept amount of knowledge of persocoms to be tinkering with his beloved machine. He was the only one allowed inside her. Yuzuki was his and his only.

"I'm going to use my Angelic Layer gear to have look into Yuzuki's brain." Kaede explained while pulling out a pair of blue goggles. They had a rose tinted screen that extended from the wings that protruded from each ear. "I'm not sure if this will work or not…I'm positive that it won't hurt Yuzuki in any way." Kaede glanced over at Minoru who paled and only nodded. She carefully pulled the visor over her head. She pulled off her glasses and set them next to a white doll in her bag. "Let's see here…" She murmured. She pushed a button on one of the ears and the wings expanded briskly at each ear. Kaede handed a cord connected to the screen to plug into Yuzuki. Minoru grasped it lightly and pushed it into the plug in Yuzuki's ear. He nodded again and Kaede returned it grimly.

Suddenly an image bounced on the screen, flickering at first, but then with clarity. Kaede knew the image so well and yet it surprised her to see it. "Oh…"She managed to breathlessly say.

"What! What! What is it? Is it bad? What do you see?" Minoru practically screamed. Kaede only shook her head, bewildered. She took the visor off and flaccidly held it out to her brother. He snatched it only after looking at her sister's flabbergasted expression. Minoru slipped it on and threw off his glasses carelessly; they were needed for seeing far away anyway.

The room was quickly engulfed in silence. "What…is this?" Minoru whispered. What he saw on the screen was foreign to him. There was no recognition at all. What he saw was a beautiful, blonde women lying on a stone slab and holding a bouquet of flowers. "Is she…dead?" He reluctantly asked. He wished with all his might that the answer was no.

"Aurora…" Kaede said hoarsely. "It's the tale of Sleeping Beauty…"

"What's this doing in Yuzuki's memory? I don't know anything about this story. How can she? Did you…?" He trailed off. Kaede shook her head slowly.

"She must have learned it on her own." She answered.

"Does…Aurora…ever wake up?" Minoru asked.

"She was cursed to sleep forever along with her kingdom." A distressed look fell on Minoru's face. "But a prince came and…kissed her. Aurora woke up because it was true love." Kaede added quickly.

Minoru was lost in thought before a violent blush swarmed his cheeks. He understood. "So, if I…kiss Yuzuki, she will wake up?" Minoru struggled.

"I would think so, but…" Kaede faded.

"But?"

"You would have to be in love with her for it to work." She replied softly. Minoru pursed his lips tightly and felt his heart leap from his chest. Love a persocom? It was like loving a blender. How could he be in love with something that didn't have a real personality, didn't have a real heart? Was it possible?

Minoru closed his eyes.

(You know that loving a persocom is different from loving a human. A human has real emotions and real memories. They cannot be erased or forgotten. A human can respond unlike a persocom which can't step outside of its programming. I know Yuzuki looks real and acts real, but it's her programming. Your programming…Minoru. You can make her fall in love with you. You can make her forget. You have total control over her mind and her heart.) He thought to himself. Minoru battled with his brain as another consideration formulated. (Look at Hideki and Chi. Look how happy they are. Hideki doesn't care that she's a persocom. He loves Chi for Chi. Look at Manager Ueda. He married a persocom. They can live and love their persocoms without feeling artificial.)

"Minoru," Kaede said lightly and kindly. "I know this may sound corny, but I believe it will help you. Just listen to your heart. Minoru, you think too much. Just forget about logic for one second and listen to your heart."

Minoru did exactly that. He dropped the debate in his head and looked down at Yuzuki. Her eyes stared blankly back at him. That stare, that desolate, stormy-sea gray, tore at his heart. He couldn't leave her like this. He would miss her smile and her soft, elegant voice. Tears filled Minoru's eyes as he smiled. He laughed a little for he saw how ridiculously easy this predicament was.

He tore off the screen and looked down at his sleeping beauty. He hesitantly closed his eyes and lowered his lips to hers. Minoru blushed even more, if possible, when their lips connected. He shyly pulled back after a moment and stared down. She remained motionless. Minoru's heart dropped to his stomach. He blinked furiously to keep back the tears. He crawled out from under Yuzuki and picked up his glasses. A sob grew in the back of his throat as he threw himself into Kaede's arms.

"It…didn't work." He whispered. Kaede could only hold him because she also choked on her tears. Her vision blurred, but a movement caught her eye. She blinked and let the tears roll down her face as she stared at the stirring from the bed.

"Minoru…" She said quietly. Minoru looked up at her, but her eyes were locked on the bed. He turned to see a figure rise from behind the canopy curtain. Minoru ran from his sister back to the bed.

"Yuzuki!" He exclaimed. She caught him in her arms and hugged him lovingly.

"I'm sorry Mr. Minoru. I'm sorry to put you and Miss Kaede through so much pain." She apologized. As soon as he heard her voice, Minoru looked up with a stern look on his face.

"I'm not sure if I can forgive you Yuzuki. What you did was extremely hazardous." He said strictly. Yuzuki bowed her head. "As punishment I'm afraid I must delete the sister program. I don't want this to happen again. I don't want you to be anymore like Kaede." Minoru turned his back to her. He looked over his shoulder and smiled. At the sight of this, Yuzuki smiled gratefully. She rose from the bed and stepped toward her master.

"Mr. Minoru…may I say something?" She asked diligently.

"Please, Yuzuki, call me Minoru." He ordered brightly.

Yuzuki smiled shyly. "Minoru…I, I love you." She confessed.

Minoru knew that this was not her talking; it was her programming reacting to the environment. He knew that a machine could never experience any human emotion. Minoru smiled. He didn't care.

Minoru took a step closer to her. They were practically touching each other they were so close. "I love you too Yuzuki." Yuzuki smiled ecstatically and pulled him into her stomach. Minoru swore he felt her warmth even if it was just her hard drive. He wrapped his arms around her waist and embraced her emotionally.

Kaede, the forgotten, stood by the door smiling. She had her small, white doll in hand and the doorknob in the other.

"And they all lived happily ever after…" She said to herself and quietly shut the door.

**Author's Note: **Yeah…sorry it took me so long to write. This concludes the story and sorry to keep you waiting. I want to thank all the readers that stuck around and all the ones that will return.


End file.
